Police deny scapegoat claim after licence is revoked
A Pontypridd pub has been shut down after magistrates upheld an application by South Wales Police to revoke its licence.
Geoff and Angela Skinner, licensees of Jefferson's American Bar, believe they have been made scapegoats by police keen to show they are cracking down on the wider problem of alcohol-fuelled disorder in the town.
But police insist the problems were specific to the pub. At the end of March, they requested a 24-hour emergency closure after being called to a series of incidents "inside and immediately outside" Jefferson's, local licensing officer PC Paul John said.
Magistrates went further and ordered the suspension of the pub's licence until a full hearing. At the May 7 hearing Jefferson's licence was revoked.
The Skinners say they have been singled out for harsh treatment in order to set an example to other pubs in Pontypridd.
Mr Skinner said: "It can get lively, but we were dealing with what was going on inside the pub.
"There's so much emphasis at a national level about alcohol and disorder, we've been caught up in it. The police and the government can't control it, but they expect licensees to deal with it."
The pub, in the town centre, had an entertainment licence and opened until 2am at weekends.
The licensees say its problems were no worse than those of several others nearby, claiming police were perhaps reluctant to take on the legal firepower of the national operators.
An alternative plan put forward by the Skinners' lawyers, which would have put opening hours back to 11pm, was not accepted by magistrates. PC John rejected the suggestion that an example is being made.
He said: "The problems at Jefferson's go back some time, and we've been called on to deal with a series of incidents inside and immediately outside. The magistrates agreed with our view."
The Skinners, who have been licensees in the Pontypridd area for almost 20 years, are now taking further legal advice.
The premises are the first in South Wales to have a notice of closure served.
